If last year’s Thematic Pavilion—the curved wooden tunnel by Vanachai Group (Vanachai Public Company Limited) x Flat12X at Architect Expo—created a memorable experience through engineered wood materials that felt close to natural wood,
this year marks a new chapter of impression with the “Ngon Pavilion”, the latest work by STUDIO TOFU in collaboration with Vanachai, a leading brand in engineered wood materials. The project challenges the perception of “wood flooring” as merely a building component, transforming it into an elegant and functional curved wooden grandstand under the concept of “friendliness” for everyone.
How can friendliness and curvature reflect both identity and material potential? We explore this with Bon – Weeraphat Chokdeetaveeanun, founder of STUDIO TOFU.
WOODSMITH – Wood Friend
The “friend” hidden within the brand
The design concept originates from a deep understanding of the material and the brand’s background, where the word “friend” becomes a key inspiration. This idea is reflected in Vanachai’s vision, as well as in its new sub-brand Woodsmith, a learning and distribution center for engineered wood materials for both consumers and professionals.
- Friendly to people: safe, certified, and internationally recognized quality materials
- Friendly to users: versatile products with expert guidance for architects, carpenters, contractors, and general users
- Friendly to the environment: efficient resource use and reduced environmental impact throughout the production lifecycle
“When we received the brief, we were particularly interested in the name Woodsmith. In English, it means ‘carpenter,’ but in Thai it was transliterated as ‘Wood Friend,’ which aligns beautifully with the idea of ‘friend.’ It felt thoughtful and well considered.
Moreover, Vanachai’s products emphasize environmental friendliness, and when combined with the new Woodsmith brand—which also emphasizes friendliness toward users such as craftsmen, homeowners, and contractors—we used this as the foundation for our design interpretation.”
NGON – Graceful Curves, Aesthetic of Material
Material aesthetics from shifting perspectives
The “Ngon Pavilion” reimagines wood flooring as an architectural space that opens up multiple dimensional experiences.
The word “Ngon” (curved) is expressed through the pavilion’s main form, where wood flooring is reconfigured and gradually tilted and elevated from the ground plane up into vertical walls, reaching a total height of 6 meters to form a grandstand. A large central volume is inserted into the space.
Wood flooring is no longer just flooring—it becomes a material with unexpected potential, transforming depending on its angle: from floor to stairs, seating, stage, and architecture.
The concept of “friendliness,” the core of the brand, is reinforced through a Museum Gallery Plaza typology—an open multifunctional space where visitors can choose how to interact with it. It serves as a learning space, an inspirational art zone, a public resting area, and a place to engage directly with products and services.
“Our idea of being friendly is not only visual. It also means allowing people to actually sit and touch the material. We wanted that physical interaction to happen.”
Observing the layout, it’s clear that the space is divided symmetrically, with the exterior areas on both sides designed to serve distinctly different functions.
- Side facing the ASA exhibition area: a 6-meter-high curved grandstand serving as a public space for resting, meeting, and activities. It allows visitors to experience wood flooring in a spatial and atmospheric way.
- Side facing the product exhibition booths: a hybrid space for exhibition and product showcase, allowing visitors to closely explore materials, production processes, and the brand’s vision.
The central corridor between both sides acts as a circulation route. Visitors can freely choose to enter the exhibition side, explore products, or step into the Black Box, a dark enclosed volume that functions as a screening room. It presents films addressing the often-overlooked impacts of material choices on health and daily life.
In addition to communicating the brand’s friendly concept on the day of the exhibition, the installation design also considered sustainability and recycling. The main structure therefore utilized steel combined with wood from Vanachai, allowing all components to be disassembled and reused.
Multiple Identities
Breaking fixed thinking patterns
A key characteristic of STUDIO TOFU’s work is intentional contradiction and unexpected design tension, created by combining multiple constraints into new spatial forms.
The studio challenges fixed notions of identity, believing that design does not require a single interpretation. Instead, diversity of conditions can generate new aesthetic possibilities and experimental spatial experiences.
“We don’t really believe in a singular identity. We think it hasn’t existed for 10–20 years already. So we intentionally introduce multiple conditions—client needs, sustainability, and other constraints—and explore how they shape new design outcomes.”
I Prompt, Therefore I Am
Using AI with wisdom
In an era driven by AI, and with this year’s theme “Mindfulness, Wisdom, Prompt(ing),” one key question is how architects view AI.
“I am very positive about AI and technology. I like the idea of ‘using intelligence with intelligence’—knowing AI, and knowing I AM. We don’t just use it blindly, but with awareness.”
Technology has always supported design. We no longer draw by hand but use tools like AutoCAD and 3D software. I once lived through the transition from analog to digital, when people said designers would no longer be needed because everything would be selectable from a computer catalog. But that did not happen.
I believe AI will not fully replace architects either. Architecture still requires human expertise, consultation, and final decision-making.”
Design for all
A pavilion for everyone
“The Architect Expo is not only for architects—it is for everyone, because it relates to housing, living environments, and fundamental human life.
This year’s theme, ‘SATI WISDOM PROMPT,’ includes technology as a major global movement. The association and organizers have prepared many activities.
We also designed this pavilion to be friendly—so people can meet, wait for friends or family, and experience both the ASA activities and Vanachai and Woodsmith exhibitions. What you take away from this TOFU project may be different ways of thinking or new design approaches.”
If you want to experience how friendly this pavilion really is—and how it reimagines familiar materials in unexpected ways—visit Architect’26: SATI WISDOM PROMPT, from 28 April – 3 May 2026, at Booth TP-02, Challenger Hall 1–3, IMPACT Muang Thong Thani.
